


Starting Point

by SlashIsLife



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Memory Loss, babysitter jason todd, dick is nine, shifting pov
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22662478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlashIsLife/pseuds/SlashIsLife
Summary: Due to an accident of the Speedforce, Dick is now nine years old. The family finds themselves a little acrobat who knows nothing of the Bat.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 13
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

1.  
Dick does not have a care in the world. He has loving parents, great friends, amazing teachers, and acrobatics which he loves dearly. He is living his best life.

When he finds himself waking up to a completely foreign environment, he is not scared but thrilled. It takes a while for his eyes to adjust to the bright white light. His first thought is how white the room is. Everything seems to be purposefully kept clean and spotless. The next thing he registers is the man sitting beside his bed.

The man seems to be asleep, but he is now slowly opening his eyes. Dick might have woke him. In a split second, the man’s eyes focus on him, looking at Dick with acute attention. He unfolds his hands, reaching out towards Dick slowly. There is a restrained intensity in his eyes but Dick does not recognize it. He does not know this man.

2.  
Jason feels only a slight fear when he hears Dick has gone down. With the number of scars and bruises on their body, none of them could afford to be faint-hearted. As long as he is breathing, nothing is too bad.

But he certainly hasn’t expected to see a nine-year-old Dick Grayson lying in Wally West’s arms.

Even Wally isn’t sure, so the family looks at Batman, hoping he would identify the boy. In hindsight, Bruce probably recognized Dick right away. But it is silly to expect Batman to reveal his thoughts unless he intends for you to know. He briskly orders for the preparation of medical tests and assigns everyone something to do. 

After what looks like a thousand tests, the boy is declared to be Dick Grayson, only fifteen years younger than what he should be. He is perfectly healthy, sleeping only due to exhaustion. He would wake once he has rested enough. The reason for this age-reversal is most likely another unfortunate accident of Speedforce. It is unlikely that he would remain a child, but for how long they do not know. They could only wait, either for Dick to naturally revert back, or Flash to return from his space mission and provide more insights regarding this incident.

Unsure whether Dick would possess memories of his life past nine years old, they have decided to wait for Dick to regain consciousness, and go from there.

3.  
Dick has not intended to hurt, so he feels guilty when the man turns away. He asks, ‘Who are you?’ And the look in the man’s eyes changes into confusion, perhaps even sadness as he looks down and retrieves his hands.

He is then left alone for a while. He takes this time to observe his surroundings. It appears to be a hospital, with everything so white and a wall of machines displaying signs and numbers that he does not understand. Was he in an accident? It would be really bad if he hurt his limbs. The Flying Graysons act would be gravely affected. He quickly tests his mobility and is beyond relieved that he does not find any problems. He wonders why is he in a hospital and who might be that man.

The man returns with several other strangers. There is one older man with a serious expression, a teenager with pale skin, a boy who might be roughly the same age as him and is staring at him with unfiltered surprise. The first man stays a bit further from the group while looking away from them, studying something on the wall.

The older man speaks, ‘Do you know us?’ He voice is very deep, but Dick somehow thinks it is not always like this.

‘No.’ Dick replies.

The older man frowns. Everyone else looks at him, they seem to be waiting for something.

‘Do you know your name?’ He asks again.

‘I am Richard John Grayson, but you can call me Dick.’

The older man’s brows unfurl. ‘Do you know your parents’ names?’

‘John and Mary Grayson.’

The older man nods slightly. He turns towards the first man and says, ‘Jason, what we have discussed.’

They stare at each other for some time, then the younger replies, ‘Fine.’

'I expect you to leave in 15 minutes.'

The older man turns to leave. The teenager touches Dick’s hand slightly. He looks concerned but he does not say anything. His hand lingers for a few seconds, then he follows the older man. The boy looks Dick up and down, curious as though Dick is a strange creature. Dick wants to know why is he looking at him that way, but the first man walks over and shoos the boy away.

‘Times up, brat.’

The boy fixes his eyes on Dick. ‘Take care of him.’

The man rolls his eyes and says, ‘I heard you the first hundredth time.’

After the boy shuts the door, the man sits down on Dick’s beside. There is a gentle smile on his face.

‘Hello, Dick. My name is Jason Todd.’

4.  
It would be too dangerous to carry a nine-year-old on a bike, so Jason takes one of Bruce’s less expensive cars.

The story is that Jason is a friend of Dick’s parents, and they had left Dick with Jason for a week. After their tour, they would return to pick Dick up. Meanwhile, Jason shall take great caution to prevent Dick from learning the current time, as it may cause unnecessary complications in Dick’s psyche. It is best for the family to maintain minimal contact with Dick, as he shall not learn of their heroic activities. Yet, they need to keep tabs on him, so one of them has to hang up his costume for a while. 

The job lands on Jason’s shoulder. Bruce says it is because he is ‘most familiar’ with Dick’s living habits. A subtle way to say ‘it is time for you to perform your obligations as Dick’s partner’. And Batman would surely choose Red Hood out of anyone to take a break, Jason reasons.

Nine-year-old Dick seems to be quite accepting of his story, despite how sketchy it sounds. He is smiley, unsurprisingly. He is also quite well-behaved. He is curious and energetic, but he stays in his seat. He says ‘thank you’ when Jason helps him with his seatbelt.

Jason parks near one of his more civilian safehouses. When he turns the knob, he suddenly remembers the traces of both him and Dick living inside. Not sure if the kid should see them, he tells him to stay at the front door and wait for him to tidy up the house.

Dick beams and says ‘ok’.

It is a decent enough neighbourhood in Gotham that child abduction is at a relatively lower rate. Jason also believes anyone who takes Dick Grayson would be signing up for more trouble than they wished. Still, he leaves the door opened halfway and listens for anything abnormal. He quickly stuffs everything Nightwing-related into the closet. It would be an easier story if he lives alone. He also puts away everything with a date on it.

He returns in a few minutes. Dick is nowhere to be found.

5.  
Haly’s circus is a tight circle. Everyone knows everyone. Dick would say they are a big family, although not by blood. They are also the only people he knows in the world.

He has never heard of family friends. Ma and Pa rarely talk of life before Haly’s. Strangely, he trusts this man. It almost feels like he had met this man before but it was forgotten. He is also pretty excited for experiencing things outside the circus.

So when he sees a stray cat yawning from two stories above, it is only natural for him to climb up and observe it closer.

He is still several inches away from the cat, attempting to pat without upsetting it. Then, he hears a hushed voice calling out, ‘Dick! Where are you?’ The voice sounds worried, but for some reason, it is not projected fully, as though the speaker doesn’t wish to attract attention.

Dick looks down and sees the man who brings him here. He is searching but he doesn’t think Dick would be right above him. Dick smiles to himself. He would scare him good.

He hooks his legs between the railings and hangs himself upside down like a bat. He waits for the man to turn around and shouts, ‘Hey!’ He laughs with uncanny agility.

For a fleeting moment, Dick sees a violent look on the man’s face. It is almost lethal, reminding Dick of the big cats he knows. His right hand also reaches inside his coat. He pulls out his hand as the edge recedes from his eyes.

He still frowns while looking at Dick. ‘Get down,’ he orders.

Dick, realizing he probably shouldn’t have done what he did, flips down with practiced ease. He looks down and says, ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Todd.’

‘Jason. Jason is fine.’ Dick keeps on staring at the other’s shoes. It’s a pair of combat boots. They are pretty worn out. It must take an awful lot of time to put them on, with so many laces and all. Mr. Todd is talking but he doesn’t hear anything.

Dick looks up and asks, ‘Do you wear them yourself?’

‘What?’

‘Your shoes, it seems really troublesome to put them on.’

Mr. Todd is folding his arms. ‘Sure, you would think that.’ Dick does not understand these words. The man continues, ‘Why did you go up?’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nighttime and morning shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I love y'all so much for your comments!!! They are out of this world!!! <333 Thank you for reading and liking this story!

1.  
Mr. Todd. It irks Jason more than he expects. More than handling with Dick’s hyper-activity. More than watching Dick act and speak so similarly to his adult self. More than seeing Dick flips around and realizing he has fallen behind so bad even as a kid. He thinks about when he was nine, and he could only recall cigarettes, drugs and stealing from anyone to live another day.

But they still don’t bother him as much as hearing Dick calls him ‘Mr. Todd’ once again when he needs help in the shower.

Jason thinks it is because he has never heard Dick calls him that. When he first met Nightwing, he was Robin. Then, he was Jason, Little Wing, Jay. After coming back from the dead, he is Red Hood, Hood, Todd. Now, if Dick is really angry with him, he calls him by his full name.

‘Mr. Todd’ sounds like they are roleplaying to be strangers. He almost vindictively replies with 'Mr. Grayson'. He stops himself as he believes he would be losing something if he says so.

‘Why do you trust me, Dick?’ Jason asks, while drying Dick’s hair with a towel.

Dick is humming an unknown tune. He even shuts his eyes to show how relaxed he is. The question echoes in the tiny bathroom.

'Why shouldn't I?'

Jason would give him a list of reasons why it is a really bad idea, if he wasn't a child.

So he mutters under his breath, 'Stupid.'

2.  
It isn't the first time someone calls him stupid. Ma has taught him to look beyond words whenever he hears insults. Looking at the other’s face, he decides that Mr. Todd doesn’t mean what he says.

What he doesn’t understand is Mr. Todd dropping the towel on his head, leaving the room while saying, ‘Get it done and go to bed.’ But it’s okay, because he could surely do it himself.

Mr. Todd’s home is not big. There is an open kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a small living room. It is quite clean and tidy, though. What draws Dick most is the television. There is only one TV on the circus and the adults are always watching it. He can’t wait to have it all to himself. Well, almost.

He always brushes his teeth before sleeping. Over the sink, he sees two sets of toothbrushes. The one with a black handle has frayed bristles. There is a newer one besides it with a blue handle. Dick guesses the blue one is for him.

To make sure, he goes out and finds Mr. Todd.

‘Mr. Todd?’ 

The man has expressed his annoyance with this form of address a few times but seems to have given up now. It puzzles Dick, because it is only respectful for him to call the man Mister.

‘Here.’ Mr. Todd calls out from the bedroom. ‘What’s up?’ 

Dick walks closer and sees that the man is looking through the closets. The bed is stripped down to the mattress. Bedsheet, pillow and blanket are all on the floor.

‘Is this for me?’ Dick raises the toothbrush in his hand.

Mr. Todd glances at his hand and stops for a short while. He turns to pull the fresh sheets over the mattress and replies, 'Yeah. It's yours.'

Dick, delighted, exclaims with a smile, 'Thank you! Blue is my favourite colour!'

3.  
Dick has taunted him for not actually buying everything red. He said that common people would assume the Red Hood loves the colour red.

There should be a vague allusion to his violent tendencies somewhere in this sentence. As Dick didn't state it, Jason gladly ignored it.

Nevertheless, it is stupid to assume he likes red. Not everyone bleeds their personality into their alter-ego. Not like how Nightwing always reminds him of Dick Grayson. He would argue the splash of blue on Nightwing’s chest is exactly the hue of his eyes.

This blueness, like Dick himself, grows into everything it touches. It isn’t the first time he tries to erase this suffocating existence from his life, but he keeps failing. There is always a toothbrush that he overlooks, reminding Jason that he is here.

So, Jason gives up and pulls out the sapphire blue sheets that Dick bought before. 

It is the same thing, when kid Dick asks him to tell a bedtime story, he thinks of Nightwing’s myth immediately. It’s weird, considering this nine-year-old would take his name in the future. But Jason would rather not tell him of Batman, and definitely not himself.

4.  
That night, Dick dreams of Krypton. At least what he imagines Krypton to be. He dreams of heroes on this distant planet, Nightwing and Flamebird.

So much so that he asks Mr. Todd first thing in the morning, ‘Is Krypton real?’ With his toothbrush still in his mouth.

The man has his back turned towards him, tending to something on the stove. ‘You need to stop talking with your toothbrush in your mouth. I can’t hear it and its unsanitary.’

When Dick returns, Mr. Todd is putting a few plates on the table. ‘I made some eggs and toasts. They are still hot, they should cool down a bit after you’ve stretched.’

‘Stretched?’ Dick is eyeing the food with great interest.

Mr. Todd gives him a funny look, his mouth opens and closes. Dick thinks hard.

‘Nevermind it’ ‘Oh, I know! Do you mean warm-up?’ Dick jumps a little, smiling wide. ‘How do you know? Did Ma or Pa tell you?’

‘Yeah, that.’ Mr. Todd answers, but Dick cuts him off again. ‘I will do it quickly, give me five minutes.’

Dick moves to a relatively wide space in the house.

5.  
He starts with his neck. Then, his shoulders, arms, chest. He lies down and stretches his back. He widens his hips and bends his body in weird angles.

Realizing Dick would finish his exercise with a cartwheel, Jason blurts out, ‘Stop you would hurt’ ‘Ta-da!’ And Dick is done, unscathed, and smiling proudly.

Whenever Dick did his cartwheel, he either knocks something down or crashes into furniture. He would say it can’t be helped that Jason’s place is so small. In this respect, it is probably better that Dick doesn’t stay overnight too often, as he reflexively does it every morning.

Lucky that he is way smaller now.

Throughout breakfast, Jason racks his brain on everything he knows about Krypton. He kind of regrets telling Dick the myth, as he doesn’t know much. Guess he had it coming, thinking Dick would be anything but especially curious.

He asks of the climate on Krypton. He asks about Kryptonians, what do they look like, their culture, food, transport and family. He asks about Nightwing and Flamebird. Jason thinks not even Superman knows that much about his home planet. So he makes up half of his answers, hedging.

When Jason thinks Dick has finished with his questions, Dick asks one more. 

‘Do you think I could be a hero?’

Jason looks at the young boy. He considers what he could become, how much joy he would bring to so many, the numerous lives that he should save from the verge of eternal damnation. Dick Grayson is an incorruptible good. A constant across the multiverse. 

But that's the Dick Grayson he knows. The Dick Grayson who has gone through as much trauma as any of them.

What if his parents did not die? What if he stayed at Haly’s circus? What if Batman never picked him up? What if he is of no relation to the Court of Owls? Would he be Nightwing then?

Jason could swear on his life that Dick would never be anything but good, but there is a delicate and undiscussed association between heroics and losing people from your life. Not that his life worth much of anything, though.

What if this Dick is the one who escaped all and ended up normal?

It would make sense to deny him, Jason thinks.

What’s so good about being good, anyway?

6.  
Dick hasn’t think too much on it. He just thinks it would be really cool to help people and make the world a happier place.

He focuses on his plate, soaking up the remaining egg yolk with his last piece of toast. After he finishes, he looks up, wondering why Mr. Todd hasn’t replied yet.

When they make eye contact, the man quickly shifts his gaze. He gets up and collects the dishes. He speaks as he turns around.

‘Probably not a good idea.’ It is so low and slurred that Dick almost missed it.

‘What?’

‘Nevermind.’ ‘Why is it bad to be a hero?’

Mr. Todd probably thinks he did not hear it. He pauses for a second, then resumes to cleaning. He turns on the faucet. Running water again makes it hard to hear.

'It's not bad… it's just…'

'Just what?' Dick approaches the man, stops when he could look up at him from his side. 'And I should help you with this,' Dick turns his head towards the dirty dishes in the sink. 'I have helped out in the circus. Pa says you should always pick up after yourself. Or someone else's, if they have trouble doing it themselves.'

Dick smiles upwards, showing his genuineness. Mr. Todd holds his gaze this time. His eyes are searching, critical even. Dick doesn't understand, but he isn't afraid, either.

Their staredown would have lasted longer, if the bell hasn’t rung appropriately.

Mr. Todd dries his hands casually. He turns away as he says, ‘Sure, I’ll leave it to you then.’ He doesn’t sound too jolly, but it’s good enough for Dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tim may or may not appear next chapter. He may or may not has a personal point of view in this story.  
> Thank you for reading! Comments fuel my writing.


End file.
